Carlsbad senior commission hears Age Friendly Carlsbad update; staff summarize housing, mobility, meals and volunteer efforts

Carlsbad Senior Commission members received a multi-department update June 26 on the Age Friendly Carlsbad Action Plan and related senior services, including housing programs, library and cultural activities, parks and recreation initiatives, and transportation and nutrition services.

Eric Biggin, a city staff member who led the presentation, reminded commissioners that the City Council approved the Age Friendly Carlsbad Action Plan on Dec. 7, 2021, and said the plan was developed with support from the San Diego Foundation, American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding and guidance from the World Health Organization. He summarized six domains in the plan: outdoor spaces and buildings; social and civic participation; housing; health and wellness; mobility; and community connections.

The report compiled department-level actions intended to advance those domains. Nicole Piano Jones, Senior Program Manager with Housing and Homeless Services, summarized housing-related items, including the city''run resale program that keeps some for-sale units affordable over time. "We haven't done any workshops, but we do have what's called a resale program," Piano Jones said, describing how the city resells deed-restricted units to income-qualified buyers. She said Carlsbad maintains an online list of affordable units, and noted "there's a total of 8 that are age restricted currently for 55 and up." She also said an effort to match a state housing-trust grant in 2023 was unsuccessful but that the city proceeded using local funds to open the Marja Acres project.

Library and Cultural Arts programs were described by Laura Sanger, Principal Librarian for Partnerships and Community Outreach, who said the department maintains an inventory of intergenerational and senior programming and uses attendance and feedback to adjust offerings. Sanger highlighted Concerts in the Courtyard, an all-ages series at the Ann Coulching Courtyard at the Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane that began in fall 2024; she noted the next scheduled performance is the U.S. Navy Southwest Band on July 12.

Parks and Recreation staff described efforts to maintain safe public spaces, expand intergenerational programming outside the senior center, and increase access to fitness, wellness and social activities for older adults. Examples cited included expanded grocery-shuttle service now operating weekly (rotating between Walmart and Stater Bros.), Tai Chi classes offered in partnership with Live Well San Diego, and outreach such as volunteer-driven calls and home visits for homebound seniors.

Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager, outlined mobility actions: promoting the Carlsbad Connects app for reporting infrastructure problems, maintaining a digital bike map, offering "smart cycling" and city-cycling classes (partnerships include the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and the police department), adding buffered Class 2 bike lanes (more than 40 miles installed in recent years), evaluating additional Class 1 multi-use trails and bicycle signal detection, and coordinating with North County Transit District (NCTD) and SANDAG on transit service and regional planning. Schmidt said staff are evaluating creative crosswalks (decorative crosswalks), traffic-calming measures and annual roadway resurfacing that includes striping and ADA upgrades. He said staff will present a Safe Routes to School plan to City Council in late July.

Senior center staff reviewed programming, finances and meal service metrics. The senior center reported a special revenue fund balance of $330,991.17, miscellaneous revenue of about $3,737.80 (primarily fitness fees), and expenditures of $3,183 in the reporting period. Eleven Senior Opportunity Grants were awarded in fiscal 2024''5 totaling $3,300, with approximately $1,700 remaining for future applicants. The center reported about 55 households in Carlsbad currently receive home-delivered meals as part of the county Meals on Wheels program and that volunteer callers and visitors are performing roughly 10 to 20 welfare check calls or visits per week as the program scales up. The city-provided senior shuttle continues to average roughly 250 to 300 rides per month.

Commissioners asked for follow-up information. One commissioner requested data on the number of Carlsbad residents age 50 and older who are experiencing homelessness; staff said they did not have that stat at the meeting but would follow up with the Housing and Homeless Services team and provide the information later. Staff also pointed to a recent homelessness action plan item (City Council agenda item 14 on June 24) for more detail.

Commissioners praised expanded programming and outreach, including excursions, intergenerational events with local schools and organizations, volunteer appreciation, and improvements to printed materials such as the Seaside Insider newsletter and on-site bulletin boards. Staff said additional dementia-friendly training and presentations, in partnership with the County of San Diego Age Well team, are scheduled for fall 2025.

A procedural item was raised at the start of the meeting: a motion to approve the minutes of the April 24 meeting was made and seconded. The transcript records a second from Commissioner Ross but does not show a recorded vote tally or final outcome in the available excerpt.

Staff indicated that Recreation Services Manager Ashley Spenson (referred to as "Miss Spenson" in the meeting) will take on facilitation duties at future senior commission meetings and that Eric Biggin will attend as his schedule allows. The commission's next scheduled meeting date was noted as August 28.

The presentation and supporting slides cover a wide set of operational actions and continued partnerships; commissioners asked for specific follow-up data on senior homelessness and staff noted upcoming council-level items where related transportation and homelessness work is being considered.